ALA creates separate body for professional advocacy

Contact: Larra Clark


312-280-5043



lclark@ala.org

For Immediate Release


February 4, 2002

ALA creates separate body for professional advocacy

At its annual Midwinter Meeting, the American Library Association (ALA) Council voted to establish a separate professional advocacy organization, the ALA/Allied Professional Association (ALA/APA). The ALA and ALA/APA will have interlocking governance structures, but the ALA/APA will follow the federal tax rules governing a section 501(c)6 nonprofit trade or professional association. This tax status will allow the ALA/APA to conduct activities constrained by the ALA's 501(c)3 nonprofit (educational/charitable) status, including certification, recruitment, pay equity, status and salaries.

"ALA's current status allows us to speak on behalf of the millions of people who use libraries of all types," said ALA President John W. Berry. "It also allows us to raise funds as a charitable organization. But we need this new organization to aggressively address the serious professional concerns facing librarians now, notably recruitment, salaries and recognition."

The proposal to establish the new organization is a synthesis of recommendations from the Presidential Task Force on Recruitment, Presidential Task Force on Better Salaries, Ad Hoc Task Force on the Status of Librarians, Committee on Education and other ALA standing committees.

"The issues of salary and pay equity have been longstanding priorities of library workers that ALA can finally address with the establishment of the 501(c)6," said ALA President-Elect Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman. "The ALA/APA is part of an overall effort, the Campaign for America's Librarians, to empower America's library workers with the resources and skills that will enable them to advocate successfully for more equitable compensation."

Now ALA leadership has approved the formation of the ALA/APA, a taskforce is being formed that will define the roles and relationships between ALA and ALA/APA. For more information about the new organization and its development, please call Mary Ghikas at 800-545-2433 x2518.